Things That Remain
by jesatria7
Summary: Post-ep 7. Korra pays Tahno a visit to see how he's faring.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Legend of Korra. This is only for fun & no profit is being made from it.

**Note:** This was originally gonna be Tahorra smut, but it kind of went off in a different direction. I may do a smutty sequel, though!

* * *

Korra stood in front of the high-rise apartment building. She still wasn't entirely accustomed to such structures. It towered above everything else in the immediate area, quite intimidating to a girl who'd spent most of her life shut up at the South Pole. This was one of the wealthiest quarters of the city and Korra had rarely ventured here before. An attendant waited outside the large glass double doors. She handed Naga's reins to him, took a deep breath, & stepped inside.

The decision to come here hadn't been a difficult one. Korra was glad to have her friends living with her on Air Temple Island, but the situation was not without its tensions. It was not easy to watch Mako with Asami every day. She needed to get away, to escape for a few hours. It had been quite easy to find out Tahno's address; Korra just hoped he was home. If he was in the same state she saw him in at the police station, she doubted he'd want to be seem in public.

At last the elevator came to a stop at the top floor. Korra stepped out, taking a moment to re-orient herself. She was not at all used to elevators and wasn't very fond of them. It didn't take her long to locate Tahno's apartment, considering it was one of only two on the floor. She hesitated for a moment outside the door before giving a brief knock.

Several moments passed with no response. Korra knocked again, wondering if this had been a stupid idea all along and she ought to go back to Air Temple Island. She turned to leave when the door finally opened.

Tahno looked just as bad as he had at the police headquarters. His hair was lank and limp, completely without the expensive hair products he was so fond of. The heavy bags under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. Korra wondered if he'd slept at all since the pro-bending finals. She doubted it. He was dressed in a rumpled shirt with the same short pants and ankle boots he'd been wearing when she last saw him. He looked terrible. It truly pained Korra to see him in this state. Amon had done more than simply take Tahno's bending- he'd broken something inside him.

Tahno's silver eyes widened in surprise when he saw her. "Korra?"

She hesitated before answering, wondering if this was the wrong decision. Well, she supposed, it was too late to back out now. "Hi, Tahno. I was just… in the area and I thought I'd stop by to see how you were doing."

He looked at her as if he'd never seen anyone like her. "I'm… managing." He sighed. "Do you wanna come in?"

"Sure." Korra followed him inside.

His apartment was in much the same condition he was. In short, it was a mess. What was obviously a very posh and expensive apartment was littered with trash and dirty clothes. The odors of liquor and cigarettes filled the air. Korra followed Tahno into the lounge, sitting beside him on the sofa. Many bottles covered the table, most of them empty. A pair of ashtrays overflowed with cigarette stubs.

"Well," he began, "you can see I'm not exactly prepared to receive guests."

"You don't have to worry. It's fine." He had enough to deal with now without worrying over making his apartment suitable for visitors.

Tahno picked up one of the bottles and took a swig. "You want some? If I were the Uhvatar, I'd need a few drinks."

The smell of alcohol was strong enough to make Korra shudder. "Um… no thanks. What is that stuff, anyway?"

"Foggy Swamp moonshine. Hard to come by in Republic City, but I like to keep some on hand." He set the bottle back on the table. "I can't exactly drink water now," he added, his gaze fixed upon the floor.

"Yeah, of course." Korra looked away from him, not entirely sure how to proceed. She'd never been very good at comforting people. "I… I really meant what I said back at the police headquarters. You didn't deserve to have your bending taken away. None of you did."

"We didn't bribe the refs." Tahno lifted his eyes from the floor and met hers. "All right- we usually played rough. We always tested the rules to see what we could get away with. When we saw that we weren't getting called on our fouls, we took it further." He gave a small, focred laugh. "Us, bribe the refs? We were three-time champs! We weren't exactly worried about beating you guys."

Korra's eyes widened in surprise. "But if you didn't do it, who did?"

He shrugged. "Damned if I know. Wouldn't be surprised if it was Amon, though. It was obvious he wanted to make examples of us…" His voice trailed off. From the haunted expression on his face, Korra could tell he was reliving the horrible event again. She placed a hand on his arm, hoping the gesture might offer some small bit of comfort.

"Tahno, I understand. I've come face-to-face with Amon." Korra suppressed a shudder; she'd not told anyone besides Tenzin what had happened on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Not even Mako and Bolin knew.

"And you walked away from him with your bending intact," he remarked with a note of bitterness in his voice.

The image of Amon as he informed her he was saving her for last flashed before Korra's eyes. She could almost feel his hand on her face again. "I only left with my bending because he chose to let me go. He told me he was saving me for last." Her grip on Tahno's arm tightened. "Sometimes I see his face in my nightmares."

"That makes two of us." It didn't surprise Korra to hear he'd been having nightmares as well. The bags under his eyes made that obvious. "I haven't slept much since _that day_." His voice was soft and full of such pain that Korra felt the urge to pull him into an embrace. She held that urge in check, having no idea how Tahno would respond.

"How are your teammates doing?" she asked, no longer comfortable with the subject of nightmares.

"Haven't seen them much. We've talked on the phone a bit, but it's… painful." Tahno's gaze drifted over to a large, empty, glass cabinet. One of the doors hung awkwardly on one hinge, as if someone had pulled it too hard. Around it lay a pile of smashed picture frames, old uniforms, torn papers, and other bits of trash. Korra spotted a broken trophy hidden beneath one of the uniforms. One of the torn pictures was the very same poster she'd recently used for target practice.

"Your poster?" she asked, removing her hand from his arm and gesturing to it.

"I couldn't stand to look at it any more, any of it," he replied, voice hollow. "All of it is just a reminder of who I used to be. It's taunting me."

Korra nodded, understanding now why he hadn't been spending time with his teammates. They sat in silence for several minutes, neither wanting to discuss the subject further. It was Tahno who finally spoke. "It's getting late. You want something to eat? I've got some Water Tribe noodles."

Her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. Korra hadn't realized that it had gotten so late. "Sure, I'd like some noddles." She watched him disappear behind an ornate, decorative screen separating the kitchen from the main room. With only a moment's hesitation, she followed him.

"I can get the water," she offered. A brief glance around the kitchen revealed it was in much the same state as the other room. The counter was littered with bottles and the remains of numerous take-out meals. The sink was filled with dirty dishes.

Tahno shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll get it." He smiled weakly. "Can't exactly avoid water for the rest of my life, can I?" He removed a package of seaweed noodles from the refrigerator. He moved to light to light the stove with a match, but halted when Korra's hand closed around his wrist.

"At least let me take care of that." With a flick of her fingers, Korra sent a flame to the burner. She watched intently as he set a pan of water on it, adding the noodles once it came to a boil. "You know, I never would've figured you for the cooking type, pretty boy."

He chuckled, and added some spices to the noodles. "I had to learn, back before I could afford to eat out every day."

The noodles didn't take long to cook. Tahno shoved an armful of garbage off the table and into the trash, clearing off space for them to eat. He grabbed one of the open bottles and set it on the table, not bothering with a glass. It wasn't as strong as the Foggy Swamp moonshine, but it was obviously some kind of liquor. "Do you have anything to drink that isn't alcohol?" Korra asked

"Possibly." He rummaged around in the refrigerator until finally pulling out a bottle. "Got some lychee juice here."

"That's fine." It took Tahno a moment to find a clean glass for her. Korra took a bite of the noodles. They were considerably spicier than she was used to. "This is good!"

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks. I know they aren't very traditional, but I prefer to put my own twist on things."

It didn't surprise Korra. By now she'd grown used to the multicultural society of Republic City. "Have you ever been to the Poles, Tahno?" She assumed he'd been born in Republic City. He didn't exactly look Water Tribe.

"No," he answered.

"This is my first time away from the South Pole," Korra offered. "The Order of the White Lotus kept me locked in a compound while I learned the elements. I had to run away and sneak aboard a ship to get here."

A distant expression crossed Tahno's face for a moment, as if he were remembering something. "That's stupid. Isn't the Avatar supposed to travel to the other nations for training?"

"Yeah, that's how it usually works, but the Order took Avatar Aang's instructions to keep me safe a little too seriously."

Tahno leaned forward, a small grin forming on his lips. "So you're a country girl experiencing the big city and freedom for the first time. I know you've already found yourself a pair of men. Try not to go _too_ wild."

There was the old Tahno! Korra was glad to hear it, even as color rose in her cheeks. "It's not like that with Mako and Bolin! There's nothing between us! Besides, Mako has a girlfriend."

He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing between you? You can't be that clueless, Korra. Anyone can tell that your firebender wants you."

Korra looked down at her plate, hoping her emotions were not showing on her face. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Mako. It still pained her whenever she saw him with Asami, though she knew letting him go had been the right decision. How could she talk about this with Tahno of all people? He might almost be a sort of friend, but that didn't make it easier. "Well that doesn't matter now, because Mako is definitely dating Asami Sato."

Tahno grinned and gave her a knowing look, but dropped the subject. They spent the rest of the meal talking about trivial matters, neither wanting to bring up certain subjects again. When they were done eating, Tahno began washing the dishes. His shoulders slumped as he turned on the faucet. Korra watched quietly as he let the water run over his hands. She wondered if the feeling of the running water was comforting or a painful reminder of what he'd lost. The glimpses she'd had of the old Tahno were gone, to be replaced by the broken version she'd met at the police headquarters. It broke her heart. Korra never thought she'd miss the Tahno she met that night at Narook's.

"Let me wash," she offered. "I can do it quicker with my waterbending."

His eyes met hers. "All right. I guess I'll have to get used to other people being able to waterbend while I can't."

It didn't take her long to wash the dinner dishes. Once they were done, Korra turned her attention to the pile in the sink. Tahno watched silently, deep longing in his pale eyes. It made her ache to see it. She'd gotten him out of his funk for a little while, but now he was right back where he'd been before. Spirits, she was no good at this stuff! The least she could do was try to make him feel better before returning to Air Temple Island. She approached him cautiously, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know it won't be easy to pick up the pieces after losing your bending, but you're gonna have to do it anyway. You can't just give up."

"Easy for you to say," he retorted.

Korra glanced around at the miserable state of the apartment. "You've got to pull yourself out of this, Tahno. Your life isn't over."

He shrugged her off and crossed his arms. "It might as well be. Being a pro-bending champion was my life. It was everything to me! Amon took it all away when he took my waterbending." He shook his head. "You don't know, Korra. I came from nothing; all I had was a dream and the drive to make it. My waterbending made everything possible." He sighed. "It was the only reason I was worth anything."

The bitterness and utter despair in his voice made Korra want to cry. She knew all too well how he felt. Amon's voice from her nightmares echoed in her head: _after I take your bending away, you will be nothing_. Her throat constricted. It was suddenly difficult to speak, but she knew she had to say something. She took a deep breath. "I know it's hard. Believe me- I really do understand how you're feeling. I can tell you with certainty that I'd feel the same way if I were in your position. My entire life revolved around bending and being the Avatar. You can't just… give up. When we met at the police headquarters, you told me to get Amon for you." She paused, taking another breath before continuing. "If you have nothing else to live for right now, live for revenge. You can help me fight against Amon."

Tahno's posture relaxed slightly, his arms falling to his sides. "You're saying I should learn to fight without bending."

"Exactly. If you could master waterbending as well as you did, you can learn to fight without it."

He responded with a small nod, though he still looked skeptical. "You may have a good idea there, Uhvatar. I want Amon taken down more than anything, and I don't want to just sit by uselessly."

"I promise you that I _will_ stop Amon. I will take him down, and he will never take anyone's bending again."

Tahno smiled. "I trust you to do it, Korra. Don't let me down."

She returned his smile. "I won't. And I promise you that I'll find a way to restore your bending."

His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened in shock for a moment before his face fell. It was obvious he didn't want to get his hopes up. "The healers said it was permanent and they have no idea what Amon did."

"Well, Avatar Aang was able to take away Fire Lord Ozai's bending. If the Avatar can take bending, maybe the Avatar can give it too. I'm going to find out what Amon's doing, and how to undo it."

"And if it can't be undone?"

"It can be undone," she said, as much to reassure herself as Tahno. "I'm the Avatar. I'll find a way."

Tahno chuckled. "I'm glad you're so determined."

"Me too." Korra yawned. She'd lost track of time and it had grown quite late. The last thing she needed was Tenzin thinking she'd been captured by Equalists. "I… should probably head back to Air Temple Island. I don't want anyone to start worrying about me."

She half-expected Tahno to invite her to stay the night- another offer of "private lessons," perhaps. Instead, he nodded. She followed him out of the kitchen and to the door. Tahno halted before opening it. "I enjoyed your company, Uhvatar. Don't be afraid to stop by again." A grin spread across his face, reaching his eyes.

It was a bit of the old Tahno again, and Korra smiled to see it. Maybe their conversation had done him some good. "I might take you up on that offer. You can tell me how your self-defense lessons are going."

"As you say, Uhvatar."

Korra gave him a a brief hug. "Take care, Tahno."

"You too, Korra."


End file.
